I think this will be long (and maybe boring), so be forewarned. It’s also late, but I realized I like writing these reports because I do sometimes go back and read them and am reminded of memories. :)
I’ve been to Scotland twice and have wanted to get to Shetland and Orkney since I first started researching in 2015. This summer, a couple of things changed, which made me cancel half my planned trip, and the timing seemed like it would be the perfect opportunity to substitute the north isles. (And it was.)
It’s not especially fast or easy to get to either. I was already in Thessaloniki, so I chose to fly BA to Aberdeen and spend a couple of nights. From Aberdeen, I flew to Shetland, then I flew to Orkney, then Orkney to Dublin (all of these on Logan Air). From Dublin, I flew AA home. There are ferry options, as well. I don’t know whether ferry or flights carry more risk of cancellation, but cancellation was definitely something I considered. In the end, I had great weather on flight days, but that’s certainly not guaranteed. The outline of the trip was: 2 nights Stonehaven, 9 nights Shetland, 10 nights Orkney, 2 nights Dublin.
2 nights Stonehaven: After arriving early evening in Aberdeen, I took the 727 bus from the airport to Union Square, the bus terminal, and connected to the X7 on to Stonehaven. Both were tap to pay.
From my end-of-the-line bus stop, it was a 5 minute walk to my really cute BnB The Belvedere Guest House. My new friend Vera from the bus walked me to the Coop for some food for dinner to be sure I wasn’t hungry and then to the BnB on her way home. By that time, I had all the scoop on bus passes for students & seniors, available housing, grocery stores, schools, and more for all the nearby villages. Because it was after 7, I had a code and lockbox check in, which was smooth.
This was also the night of Scotland’s last game of the World Cup, so Vera also gave me the scoop on where I could find a place to watch some of it - the hotel and pub by the train station - and which room the women would most likely be watching from. Yes, the room of younger men was full, while the more sedate lounge area had both men and women but was definitely quieter. I stayed long enough to sip a half pint of cider before heading back down the hill and bed.
On my full day, I had planned to go to Dunnotar Castle. However, it was a grey, drizzly chilly day. And that was made more complicated by the fact that my suitcase stayed an extra day in London, where I had changed planes. I am always equipped for a couple of nights minimum with my backpack, but I was not prepared coatwise to hike the down and up for the castle in the weather. So instead, I wandered the town and beach, and resupplied myself with a few things I needed, including a new contact case as I had walked off and left mine in Thessaloniki. After trying to buy one at 2 pharmacies, I stopped at a local optometrist, where they insisted on just giving me one.
On my second morning, after another great breakfast, I headed down to the bus stop back to Aberdeen for my late afternoon flight to Sumburgh Airport. I had planned to visit the Maritime Museum, but the rain started coming down in earnest just as I arrived. And with no raincoat, I lost interest. So I went ahead and bussed back to the airport, where I was re-united with my suitcase and worked on my Greece trip report.
Cont.